Dance With Me
by teammccord
Summary: For the fic exchange. Some of Henry and Elizabeth's first dances.


For the winter fic exchange — the prompt was "Henry and Elizabeth's first dance." I decided to expand this to a few first dances, I hope that's all right. Enjoy! Reviews make me smile.

* * *

 _The (actual) First:_

"So, formal is next weekend…" Elizabeth said tentatively, looking over at Henry to gauge his reaction. She was in an honours fraternity, having decided not to rush but looking to be involved nonetheless, and they were hosting their annual winter formal in about a week. She looked over at her new boyfriend, trying to figure out if he was getting the hint or not.

She and Henry were sitting in their favourite coffee shop in town, studying and spending time together. Henry looked up from the book he was reading and smiled. "Huh?"

He hadn't heard a thing. Elizabeth chuckled to herself. Henry would really get into whatever he was reading, to the point where everything else fell away and he was in his own little world. Elizabeth cleared her throat and tried again. "Formal is, uh, next weekend, and I was wondering if you'd want to come with me?" She gave Henry a shy smile and tilted her head to the side.

His face lit up at the question and she breathed a sigh of relief. "I'd be honoured to accompany you, Elizabeth." She blushed at his gallantry and couldn't help but giggle.

"All right then. Pick me up at six next Saturday."

Henry grinned and took her hand, winking before he pressed a kiss to it. "Of course." And Elizabeth flushed a deeper shade of crimson, if that were at all possible. Henry really was incredibly sweet.

Saturday rolled around and Henry came to Elizabeth's dorm to pick her up and take her to formal. He was uncharacteristically nervous, pacing the hallway as he waited for her to let him in. At least this time she'd actually be _going_ to the dance, he reminded himself, shaking his head as he thought back to the beginnings of their relationship and certain balls dedicated to literary characters.

Elizabeth emerged from her room just then, and Henry's breath hitched in his throat. She was gorgeous, in a deep blue dress, with her hair up and a few loose tendrils framing her face. He couldn't help but stare and she flushed a pretty shade of pink under his gaze. "Hey."

"Hi," he responded, biting his lower lip.

"Nice suit," she commented, a coy look on her face as she caught on that she'd effectively rendered him speechless. She had to admit she was rather proud of herself.

"You look stunning."

Formal was as expected — subpar catering, a cheesy DJ, and couples who either looked as if they were ready to bail or eat each other alive. Not a pleasant prospect either way.

Henry and Elizabeth had stayed at their table for the time being, content to observe and comment on their surroundings. They had to fight bursting into laughter as their commentary began bordering on the absurd. Henry was utterly content, he realized as Elizabeth tried fruitlessly to hide her giggles, and this, _them_ , was definitely something that could work.

Hell, Henry had been dead-sure about Elizabeth since their first conversation, but he also knew how different her situation was from his own, and that he had to move at her pace. Which, judging by their current situation, was working out quite well for them. He smiled to himself and turned to his girlfriend.

"Care to dance?" He held out his hand and stood, pulling Elizabeth up with him. When they stood, he bowed slightly and tipped an imaginary hat in her direction. She burst out laughing.

"I'd love to. But I'll have you know, Henry, I have two left feet, so this is not going to be graceful."

"We'll make it work." Henry winked and pulled her over to the dance floor just as the DJ started a slow song. Perfect, he thought to himself.

He put an arm around Elizabeth's waist and took her hand in his, instructing her to place her hand on his shoulder. He swayed them to the music, trying an experimental step forward and backward. Surprisingly, Elizabeth found it quite easy to follow along, and before long, she had rested her head on Henry's shoulder and they were moving effortlessly to the music. She marvelled at the fact that this felt so right, but then, everything with Henry felt right, so why should dancing be any different?

 _The First (as a married couple):_

Henry and Elizabeth walked to the dance floor, grinning like fools. This was their first dance as husband and wife, and they couldn't be happier. Before, Elizabeth had danced with Conrad, as she had no father for the father-daughter dance, and he was a fitting substitute.

Now, it was Henry's turn to pull his beautiful bride close and spin her around the dance floor. Beautiful was the right word, he thought — she was stunning in her dress, a soft, flowing white gown with fluttery cap sleeves and lace detailing. Her hair was piled delicately on her head, adorned with glittering pins. But what Henry found the most stunning were her eyes, and how they sparkled every time he caught a glimpse, and her left hand, adorned by her engagement ring and now a thin, silver wedding band that matched his own. It made him happier than he ever thought possible, because now, Elizabeth Adams was Elizabeth McCord, and they were truly bound to one another.

"Have I told you you're stunning, Mrs. McCord?" he whispered in her ear as he spun her with ease.

"Only about a thousand times, but I won't tell you to stop," she teased, grinning, and blissfully happy in the arms of her husband. She was _married_ , married to Henry, she kept repeating that to herself, trying to get a grip and realize this was actually real, and no longer only in her dreams.

"We're _married_ , Elizabeth," Henry said, with as much amazement and disbelief as she currently felt and she smiled at the thought that her husband (husband!) was as enthralled as she was. She tilted her head and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, lingering a bit longer than she'd expected, and garnering some good natured whoops and applause from the guests.

They both blushed and laughed as they broke apart, resting their foreheads together and sharing the same silly looks of bliss. Henry soon realized the song was nearing its end and an idea came to his mind.

"Do you trust me?"

"Always." Her answer was immediate.

"Okay. Hold on." As the song hit an ending note, Henry spun Elizabeth before dipping her down, low and fast. Her heart skipped a beat at the unexpected move and she heard cheers erupting. God, he was good.

"That was very impressive," she said when they finished dancing, snaking an arm around his waist. They smiled and welcomed everyone onto the dance floor with them as the music changed.

"If you thought that was impressive, babe, wait for tonight." His low, husky voice in her ear made her skin prickle and a low hum of anticipation filled her stomach.

Yeah, being married was looking pretty great.

 _The First (as Secretary of State):_

Elizabeth slipped back into the ballroom unnoticed, after a very illuminating meeting with Iran's new foreign minister. Yes, she mused, Zahed Javani could prove an ally, and more than a metaphorical dance partner.

Speaking of dancing, she was on the lookout for her husband, hoping to steal a dance with him. Or two, or four. She hadn't been much of a dancer before she met Henry, but somehow, the two of them had always found a rhythm together. She smiled as she thought of countless dances they'd shared in the past, each associated with a special memory between them. Of course, the rhythm she somehow found with Henry didn't really extend to her other dance partners — with them, she had to be constantly conscious of her feet, trying not to stumble over them. Leave it to her husband to take all those cares away in an instant.

She noted her surroundings as she made her way across the ballroom. Blake, Jay and his wife were sipping champagne and engrossed in conversation. Matt and Daisy were dancing together — for posterity's sake — but who were they fooling with the heart eyes they were making at one another? The Canadian ambassador had found another victim to torture with facts about ice, and she couldn't help but chuckle at the poor man's pained expression as he listened to him drone on.

And then there was Henry, who was dutifully dancing with her chief of staff. She'd be lying if she didn't admit she was a bit jealous that another woman was in the arms of her husband, enjoying his dancing skills, but she reminded herself that Henry was doing this for her sake, and nothing else.

The song came to an end, and Henry and Nadine stepped apart, smiling. Elizabeth saw her opening, sidling up to her husband and slipping an arm around his torso.

"Ma'am, did everything work out back there?" Nadine asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth responded, smiling. "We'll work it out once we get back to the office, but I'm cautiously optimistic."

"Good." Nadine genuinely smiled and Elizabeth was pleased. She was growing fonder of her chief of staff, even though she didn't trust her completely, not yet. Still, things were looking up. Nadine excused herself, going off in search of a drink, and Elizabeth leant her head on Henry's shoulder.

"Did it really work out?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah, though I'm afraid our negotiator won't be happy."

"Worry about that tomorrow, babe. For now, dance with me."

Elizabeth didn't need to be asked twice and gratefully accepted her husband's hand. They moved to the middle of the dance floor and allowed themselves to be swept away by the music.

"You know babe, this is the first time we've danced at an event since you took this job."

"Hmm, that's true."

"I'm so incredibly proud of you, you know that?" He pressed a kiss to her temple and she was touched by the sincerity of his words.

"I had some idea," she answered coyly. Now was not the time to get overly sentimental, now was a time to be happy and move to the music and get lost in the moment.

Henry sensed her sentiment and spun her elegantly, before dipping her much like he had done on their wedding night. She could hear oohs from the crowd and blushed as he pulled her back up again.

"Still impressive as ever, Dr. McCord."

"Glad you think so," he said, winking.

"Did you do that move with Nadine?"

"Well, we had to create a distraction." She nodded but he sensed that little bit of lingering insecurity. "But I would much rather have been dancing with you, babe." She smiled again, and Henry was elated.

 _The First (Quadrille):_

After Pakistan, Henry had been enjoying being a couch potato for a little while, but there was such a thing as too much relaxation and he was getting restless. He and Elizabeth had made themselves comfortable on the sofa in the living room — she was reading policy briefs and he was trying to pay attention to a book but he felt his thoughts drift to a million other things.

"Earth to Henry," Elizabeth said, laughing.

"Huh?" He was ripped from his thoughts and looked utterly confused whilst his wife cracked up on the other side of the couch.

"What were you thinking about?" she managed after her giggles subsided.

"I don't know, babe, I guess I'm getting restless."

"Hmm, yeah, I get that." They basked in a comfortable silence for a little while before Elizabeth spoke up again. "Henry, how did you learn the quadrille?"

He laughed; she would never let him live that one down, not in a million years. "Tom helped me, and I rented one of those instructional videos from the library." He laughed at the memory of stumbling through his apartment trying to learn the moves. "I think I can still do it, actually."

"Yeah?" Elizabeth eyes lit up with mirth and he knew there was no way of getting out of this now.

"Yeah." He got out his phone and pulled up some appropriate music. "Are we doing this, or what?" Elizabeth just laughed and Henry turned the volume up before pulling his wife to her feet.

They stumbled through the moves, Henry trying his best to explain the dance that was meant to include three additional couples. He was gesticulating and trying to get Elizabeth to move to and fro — in short, it was a mess. "Okay, and then you reach out your hands like this… or was it like that… and you meet in the middle, spin, and go to opposite sides of the square."

Elizabeth watched in amusement as her husband played the part of the women and men alternatively, fiercely concentrated on not messing this up and trying to remember all the moves. She was trying hard to keep in her laughter, but couldn't help herself when he began parading round in a circle with one arm outstretched, explaining that there should normally be three other men doing the exact same thing.

Elizabeth burst out laughing and Henry stopped to observe his wife, who could hardly breathe, she was laughing so hard. He had to admit his antics did look rather idiotic, and before long, he'd joined in the laughter. They fell back on the sofa together, tears in their eyes, trying to catch their breaths.

"That was the funniest thing I've ever seen," Elizabeth managed between giggles, and Henry just chuckled, glad she was feeling so carefree.

He turned off the music on his phone and turned his head to look at her with adoration and such love that she thought she might melt under his gaze. She took his hand and pulled him into a standing position. "Dance with me, Henry."

And they did.

 _Fin._


End file.
